BOLO is on fire. Fusing four-on-the-floor beats with the sounds of his Latino heritage, the San Diego-based DJ and producer has emerged as one of house and techno’s biggest climbers this year.
A year ago, he was playing art cars, catching fans’ ears with his high-energy rhythms. Now, he’s packing out main stages at festivals and selling out clubs across the country, putting on for the next generation of ravers.
After throwing down sold-out shows and pop-ups across his home state, signing with United Talent (UTA) for representation, and launching his own community-focused label, Vibraza, BOLO caught up with EDM Maniac on board EDSea 2025, where he was the talk of the festival, playing eight sets in five days.
Days before unveiling his new B2B project with Rommii, “CASA AMIGOS,” the artist—born Edgar Avalos—spoke about the musical influence of his heritage, the state of Latin house, and how he’s carrying his momentum into the new year.
EDM Maniac: You’ve had a huge year. Looking back, how are you feeling about 2025?
BOLO: I’m feeling very fortunate, cause this is all the stuff I’ve been dreaming about, and now it’s cool to actually be living it. I’m grateful more than anything. It came a lot quicker than I thought, but I think we were ready because we’ve been working towards it for a long time. This year has been amazing.
Beyond Wonderland was my first main stage at a festival, so that was sweet. And then HARD Summer, which was insane. The craziest crowd I’ve ever had, and they were early too. I’m getting a lot of early slots right now, like 4 o’clock or doors, and I’m just grateful because people are showing up. Next year, we’ve got a couple of later slots, thankfully, but it’s been fun, too, doing it early. I know it’s a grind for people to get into the festivals early, but it’s been a blessing to get the fans’ support so early on.
EDM Maniac: You’re originally from Napa Valley, but ended up in San Diego. How did that journey shape your path?
BOLO: In my head, I always had a vision of moving to San Diego somehow. I went to Sonoma State, which is right next to Napa, so I always felt like I never really left home. I had a full-time marketing job lined up after college, but then the pandemic hit during my senior year. I got laid off from work, school was canceled, and I had no commitments to where I was besides family, which is a huge thing to me. The closest scene was San Francisco, but I know it was more popping out here in Southern California.
I made the leap in 2020, moved to San Diego, and it was probably one of the best decisions ever. It definitely helped shape my career. The SD scene is great, and still growing, but it’s also close enough to LA, because that’s where the scene is really strong. I can pop in to LA when I need to, then take a quick train back to San Diego. I love it out here. I don’t see myself moving anytime soon.
EDM Maniac: What role do your culture and upbringing play in the tunes you’re producing and playing out?
BOLO: I think Latin music is unforgivably authentic. It’s easy for anyone to relate to, even if you’re not Latino. I don’t want to make it feel as if you’re not Latino, you’re not welcome to these events. I try to make them as inclusive as we can. I feel like everyone enjoys a good rhythm, whether it’s reggaeton, salsa, whatever genre, so I’ve been trying to incorporate some of those elements into the more modern dance sound.
In recent years, Latin house has really been popping, and I feel like there is more room for Latino representation in the genre and in the industry as a whole. I’m just grateful that I’ve been able to have this platform and spread the music and show what it’s all about.
EDM Maniac: What sounds or styles did you grow up with?
BOLO: My favorite genre growing up was reggaeton. That’s probably my most-listened-to genre to this day. When I get my Spotify Wrapped at the end of the year, the top artists are all reggaeton artists. That’s my jam. My mom was a big mariachi girl. My whole family, they all play instruments.
I’m a big raver too, so all the house and all the techno music that’s popping right now is really dope. The more minimal sound, the grittier sound, like the Beltran sound. Meshing the reggaeton-style vocals, or even rap vocals, over those grittier, bass-heavy house beats, that’s what I’m exploring right now. I feel like the crowds are digging it, so I’ll probably continue to lean into it.
EDM Maniac: How do we secure an invite to BOLO’s carne asada?
I’m not going to lie to you. It’s not too hard. You don’t have to speak a specific language, you don’t have to dress a certain type of way. It’s none of that. It’s really just the energy you bring. If you’ve got good energy, you’re invited. It’s a plus if we see you’re getting down to some Latin music. If we see you knowing the words, you get an automatic invite. It’s not really like you’ve got to do a specific thing. You can earn it, and once you earn it, you’re in.
EDM Maniac: In that way, it’s like the rave community, right?
BOLO: Literally. The same way that the rave scene is super welcoming, everyone’s invited. You can be yourself. It’s like when you get sprouted. You can be in the rave scene, but once you get sprouted, it’s like, “Oh shit, this is cool.” Now you feel like you’re part of it.
You all just earned the invite. You just got sprouted for the carne asada.
EDM Maniac: We’ve talked about Latin sounds, but culturally, what does the Latino community bring to the dance floor?
BOLO: I think Latinos make up a big percentage of the rave scene, and I feel like everyone’s just super welcoming. Everyone on this boat, for example. You run into strangers in the elevator, and you make friends with everybody.
It’s not only Latinos who do that, but I feel like us, culturally, we’re a very welcoming, very inviting, just friendly, family-oriented heritage. I feel like that’s easily translated into the crowds, into the festivals. And it’s not just about Latinos. It’s everyone. My favorite thing about our community is just how inclusive it is with everyone, no matter the ethnicity.
EDM Maniac: Success often takes established artists lifting others up—something Deorro has done for you. Tell us about that relationship.
BOLO: He’s one of my idols for real, for the longest time. Now, being so acquainted with him, it’s still unreal to me to this day. He’s honestly one of the most caring, most giving dudes I’ve ever met. One of my homies linked us in a group chat one day, and since that day, he’s been a great friend and mentor for me.
He actually helped me get connected with our agent as well. The first day we met, he called up his agent, Ben Hogan over at UTA, and was like, “Yo, this is BOLO right here. Don’t sleep on him, because if you do, then you’re gonna miss out.” The next month, we got on a phone call with Ben Hogan. We told him the vision, his vision aligned, we ended up signing with UTA, and it’s been a blessing to have them on the team.
I had a little heart-to-heart moment the other night with Deorro. We stayed up to catch the sunrise, so it was late. I was telling him, more than anything, I’m just grateful. Thank you for always looking out.
I don’t even know if, at the time, he realized it, but he opened the doors that have allowed me to navigate more efficiently through this industry. I’m forever grateful to that guy. He’s been killing it for a decade now, so it’s cool being able to learn from him. Great dude right there.
EDM Maniac: A big part of your new label, Vibraza, is doing the same for others. Tell us about the mission and how it came together.
BOLO: I’m still learning my relationships with labels, how that entire game works. But to me, it was just about building a community, to provide opportunities for other newer, younger artists, similar to how doors were opened for me. We’ve been doing a lot of events, which is cool because it really helps create the community, create the movement, and gets people to experience what it is in person.
I’m fortunate to be in this position, where we can try to open doors for other people while we’re still trying to navigate and make our way up. A lot of people were like, “Hey, it’s risky. It’s too early for you to be doing all this.” But I genuinely believe there’s enough room for everybody in the scene, and it’s fun when you’re doing it with your homies, too. So why not try to put other homies on when there’s enough for everyone? That’s the vision.
EDM Maniac: Your new single, “Like A Cholo,” just came out on Thrive. Tell us how it came together and about the classic Down AKA Kilo sample.
BOLO: The artist who made the original record is from the West Coast. It’s called “Lean Like A Cholo,” which is a super OG song, super catchy vocal, everyone kind of knows the dance. And I kid you not, one time, I was in the shower, and I was humming, and I was like, “Yo, this would actually hit really hard as a house record.”
That’s how it came to me, I made it, and I was sitting on it for a while. I was playing it in a lot of my sets. It always got a good reaction. And while we do have the Vibraza label, this one was a record that I wanted to see if we could just push it bigger, try to get the proper clearances and all that, so we pitched it to Thrive, and they released it on their new sub-label, called HOUSE RULES. It’s been getting great feedback. We’ve been getting some good DJ support on that record, so I’m excited on that one.
EDM Maniac: What’s on deck for BOLO in 2026?
BOLO: We’ve got a lot of festivals next year, which I’m super stoked for, super grateful for. Some major ones we’re hitting, a couple international ones. And then it’s hitting new markets we haven’t really hit, like Texas. I have still not stepped foot in Texas yet, and I feel like that’s going to be a big market once we get in. I got a lot of people in my comments and DMs telling me to pull up there. Haven’t hit D.C. There’s a bunch of markets I haven’t hit yet, which is my focus for 2026, along with getting on more festivals.
I think the shows are moving at a great pace, and I’m very grateful for all the people who are buying tickets, so we’ll continue driving that. Now, I’m really trying to lock in on the production side of it and the music releases. Getting records with major labels signed, with major artists as featured artists, big collaborations. That’s the vision for 2026.
BOLO’s Artists to Watch:
Juos – Los Angeles
“One of my really good homies right now, probably one of the best producers, no lie. He’s an LA-based tech house producer. He’s killing it. He makes hits. All the big DJs are playing his records.”
Rommii – San Diego
“He does a faster style. He’s a big homie. Super talented. He’s from San Diego as well, and we’re doing a B2B project called Casa Amigos. It’s a mix of both our genres, but different for both of our genres. It’s more like Latin hardgroove. It’s kind of the Euro dance vibe, and we’re adding our spin on it. More Latin-infused, Spanish vocals, rhythms, like merengue rhythms, and it’s super fun stuff.”
Seeing Double – South Florida
“I recently got connected with them, and they’re doing some really dope stuff. They got some big records. They recently dropped on Cloonee’s label. ‘Dance MF’ is the name of the record. That one’s a hit. They’re super talented. It’s a twin duo. I’m telling you, this next generation is gonna be killer.”
All images courtesy: BOLO.